TRD 4: Next-generation nanoprobe toolkit for biomedical applications Investigators: Moungi Bawendi (MIT) (4.1), Ishan Barman (JHU) (4.2), Conor Evans (MGH) (4.2,4.3), Gabriela Schlau-Cohen (MIT) (4.3) Collaborative Projects: Rakesh Jain (MGH) (CP1), Saraswati Sukumar, Johns Hopkins (CP10); PnP Research Corporation(CP7), Matthew Coleman, UC Davis (CP9). This TRD adds a synergistic focus on the development of novel molecular probes to complement and enhance the strong spectroscopy, imaging hardware and label-free assay developments of the LBRC. Molecular probes, tailored to our hardware development projects provide powerful toolkits that meet the demands of our collaborators for ultrasensitive, gene- and protein-specific analysis. We seek to develop nanostructured probes that enable new modes of visualization of biological function in real time. We are pulled by our collaborators to develop engineered nanoprobes to study metastasis and treatment response (Jain, CP1), to understand epigenetics factors (Sukumar, CP10), and to optimize cancer therapeutics (Coleman, CP9; PnP Research Corporation, CP7). We will leverage our bright nanoparticles (NPs) in combination with our advances in the other TRDs to improve our understanding, diagnosis, and monitoring of critical pathological conditions. Ultimately, conjugation of these nanoprobes to targeting entities will enable facile detection of numerous orthogonal biological processes.